Sunday

Nov 12, 2017 at 2:38 PMNov 13, 2017 at 1:11 PM

Updated with more photos, video of Cougar goal

WHITMAN – The final four minutes alone justified the price of admission.

Bishop Connolly’s Ruben Faria scored with 13 seconds left in regulation, forcing overtime. Top-seeded Cohasset responded with a picture goal in the fourth minute of OT for a 2-1 win in the Division 4 South boys’ soccer championship on Sunday night at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School.

“Tough one to lose,” said Curt Hibbert, coach of the second-seeded and senior-laden Cougars who were making the program’s first trip to the South final since 1991. “We never stopped fighting, scored in the last minute to tie things up. It’s a tough way to end for these guys. The best four-year run the school has had in soccer is because of these guys.”

Though not dominated, the second-seeded Cougars (18-2-2 final record) struggled to generate offense against last year’s state finalists for more than a half. But at about the 55th minute, the Cougars began to tilt the field their way, and after a timeout in the 63rd minute, the scoring chances came.

Nate Chhim’s flick of a Faria direct kick sailed over the crossbar. Faria socked a 30-yarder just a tad high.

In the final minute, the Cougars were awarded a direct kick from about 35 yards out on the left. Faria’s boot into a crowd amazingly bounced through and into the back of the net behind keeper Ian Dunkelberger, setting off a brief but wild Connolly celebration.